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Prospect Peters set for MLB debut today

Left-hander will start vs. Phillies, get chance in rotation

By
Joe FrisaroMLB.com

MIAMI -- After fracturing his left thumb in April, Dillon Peters feared he might miss the remainder of the season.

Those concerns have been put to rest for the left-hander, ranked by MLBPipeline.com as Miami's No. 4 prospect, who will make his Major League debut tonight. First pitch against the Phillies at Marlins Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

MIAMI -- After fracturing his left thumb in April, Dillon Peters feared he might miss the remainder of the season.

Those concerns have been put to rest for the left-hander, ranked by MLBPipeline.com as Miami's No. 4 prospect, who will make his Major League debut tonight. First pitch against the Phillies at Marlins Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

"They called me up to help out the team," said Peters, who turned 25 on Thursday. "I'm going to do everything I can. Whatever role they ask me to do, I'm going to perform to the best of my ability. I'm glad to be here."

Peters was in the Marlins' clubhouse on Thursday, and he will be the organization's first callup when rosters expand today. The plan is to keep him in the rotation.

The arrival of Peters has the Marlins tinkering with their rotation. Dan Straily, initially set to start today, will go on Saturday, with Jose Urena sliding from Saturday to Sunday.

"We're dropping him in that spot, and it ends up pushing everybody back," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "Then we can make some decisions on which way we go with different guys. We wanted to give the extra day."

Peters went 6-2 with a 1.97 ERA in nine starts at Double-A Jacksonville this season.

Listed at 5-foot-9, 195 pounds, Peters may be small comparably to the rest of the rotation, but he could make a huge impact.

"I'm here to go to work," Peters said. "I think I'm ready. I do. I truly believe that, that I was meant to do this. Whatever role it is, I think I was meant to pitch at this level."

If not for fracturing his thumb on a comeback liner on April 17, Peters may have already had his first big league callup. Instead, the injury, which required surgery, caused him to miss almost three months.

A 10th-round pick in the 2014 Draft from the University of Texas, Peters promises to be part of the rotation in 2018.

If the Marlins make it to the postseason and Peters is a significant part of the rotation, chances are he may not be sent to the AFL. For now, it depends on how often he is used.

With Peters joining the rotation, right-hander Vance Worley is a candidate to go to the bullpen. Mattingly noted the team is being flexible with the rotation.

"We'll see how everything falls," Mattingly said. "Our rotation, we're not exactly set in stone. We've used a number of different guys, trying to find consistency with that."

Worth noting

• Justin Bour (on the DL since July 25 with a right oblique strain) could start his rehab assignment with Jacksonville on Saturday. The Jumbo Shrimp are in the postseason, giving Bour more chances to get at-bats in Minor League games. A return around the second week of September is a possibility.

• Wei-Yin Chen (left elbow) is scheduled to throw two innings for Class A Advanced Jupiter on Friday.